EUROPE - COPENHAGEN, BETA

Rural Denmark looks very much like Scotland, or even the Netherlands, and the suburban outskirts of Copenhagen could pass for Aberdeenshire. Copenhagen’s canal buildings resemble Amsterdam, too. So my expectations for Denmark, the Holland of Scandinavia, remained low. 

But in spite of my raging ego, I readily acknowledge there are few greater, more enlightening things than being proven wrong. ‘How could the capital city of a nation that crystallises contentment into one snug theory bring the ruckus?’ Welcome to Copenhygge motherfucker. These guys really know how to bring it. 

We play one of the city’s biggest venues, a huge digital billboard out front with the tour flyer. Incredible venue/sound/staff/dressing rooms/ catering/ everything. 100 presales, we’re told upon arrival, the best they’ve done here in awhile. Worried cos it was another 2 band bill with no locals, no one to warm up the crowd, but they didn’t need warming up. The venue full, crowd hungry, immediately moshing, stage diving. One of the best shows of tour and it’s a Tuesday. Fans/techs/venue staff/promoter, everyone is so welcoming, appreciative, happy.

Bumped into a guy at the hotel this morning who missed the show and wanted metalpose photos in the lobby. High Command at top of their powers, so inspiring. Masterclass in fucking killing it. Rare to find a band that gets it, mixing the thrash, the chug, the d-beat. They get the d-beat. That’s important. 

I’ve chased a lot of deadend highs and few things are as good as standing with Chris Drums watching a band and nerding out over how they execute. Dissecting the nuance. Admiring the songwriting. The rocking and partying and people telling you sick set are good and fun, the shitfaced raiding the Japanese noodle rider too. But it’s this stuff, analysing and appreciating how bands crush it, learning from people, that’s what it’s about. 

We celebrate at Englandshus pub. Dane says ‘Sorry it’s a poor imitation.’ Buddy, England itself is a poor imitation. We drink and dance with proper boozefiend locals, Kevin having a danceoff with one nutjob. The streets look just like how Refn shot them in the ‘Pusher’ trilogy.